Cable stripper

ABSTRACT

A blade stripper has a displaceable blade carriage, which is normally biased toward a cable support to automatically accommodate differently dimensioned jacketed cables, and a pair of coaxial handles spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the blade stripper to allow the user to apply pulling forces directed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis for producing a linear cut in the jacket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to hand tools, and in particular, theinvention relates to a portable cable stripper automatically adjustableto accommodate differently dimensioned jacketed cables and safelyremoving jackets from these cables in a simple and efficient manner.

[0003] 2. Background of Technological Field

[0004] It is difficult to imagine our life without a limitless varietyof electro-powered devices. What is less obvious is that all of thesedevices are provided with innumerous cables connecting devices to oneanother and to power sources as well as providing communication betweenseparate components within the same device. Many cables have jacketshaving outer diameters varying from very small to gigantic. Cableconnections involve stripping jackets from cables to be connected, wiresand conductors, and, quite often, such stripping is an onerous andunsafe task.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,417, which is commonly assigned with thepresent application and incorporated herein by reference, discloses acable stripper which enjoys a well-deserved success. However, the cablestripper disclosed in this patent has a complex structure associatedwith a relatively high manufacturing cost.

[0006] It is, therefore, desirable to provide a cable stripper having asimple structure that is easy to adjust, safe to use, and that canprovide an easy access to difficult to reach locations.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide aportable cable stripper having an easily adjustable structure forreliably holding differently dimensioned jacketed cables during astripping operation.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a portable cablestripper having a resiliently-biased blade assembly to prevent the cableto be stripped from being damaged during a stripping operation.

[0009] Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a portablecable stripper having a guide assembly for displacing the cable stripperalong a straight cutting line.

[0010] Consistent with the foregoing objects, the inventive portablecable stripper is automatically adjusted to grip differently dimensionedjacketed cables with a resiliently-biased blade holding carriage. Toaccomplish it, the blade holding carriage slides towards the peripheryof the jacketed cable and presses against it so as to position thejacketed cable in a cutting position, in which the cable and the cablestripper can move relative to one another only upon applying an externalforce.

[0011] An advantage of the resiliently biased blade holding carriage itprovides a reliable and easily adjustable grip of the portable cablestripper on a jacketed cable, even when such a cable is inconvenientlylocated.

[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, a blade assembly isprovided with a resilient element retracting a blade from a cuttingposition after a cut has been completed.

[0013] This improvement facilitates an easy switch of the blade betweena straight cut, a circumferential cut and a spiral cut. Furthermore, thebiased blade is automatically retracted from its cutting position aftera lock on the blade is released. Accordingly, the risk that the user canbe cut during the switch of the blade positioning is substantiallyminimized.

[0014] In accordance with a further improvement, the portable cablestripper has a convenient guiding assembly stirring the blade along adesired straight line during the stripping operation. This isaccomplished by a holder engageable by one hand of the user and mountedon one of the opposite ends of the cable stripper. The opposite end ofthe cable stripper has an elongated guide column shaped and dimensionedto provide a convenient surface engageable by other hand of the user.

[0015] As a result of the guiding assembly, pulling forces exerted bythe hands of the user are uniformly distributed along opposite segmentsof the circumference of the cable to be stripped, which, in turn,prevents twisting of the cable stripper relative to the cable to bestripped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] These and other objects, features and advantages will become morereadily apparent when reference is made to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the cable stripper in accordancewith the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 2 is an isometric view a portion of the inventive cablestripper illustrating cable guide and blade carriage assemblies;

[0019]FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a blade housing;

[0020]FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a blade holder; and

[0021]FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the blade assembly.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1-5 in general, and to FIG. 1, in particular,a portable cable stripper 10 includes a V-shaped cable support 12 forreceiving a cable to be stripped, a guide column 14 removably attachedto the cable support, a blade-holding carriage 16 slidable along theguide column and a guide assembly including a handle 20, which isattached to an outer side of the cable support.

[0023] The portable cable stripper is a labor-saving tool adjustable toremove jackets from rigid fiber optic and plastic jacketed cables havingan outer diameter which may vary from about {fraction (3/16)}″ to 2″. Inoperation, the user initially sets a desirable distance at which a blade70 (FIG. 5) should penetrate the jacket of the cable. Following it, theblade carriage 16 is pulled outwards from the V-shaped cable support 12to form a space sufficient to receive the cable, and once the cable isplaced on the cable support, the blade carriage automatically slidestowards and presses against the periphery of the jacket. Accordingly,the cable is locked between the cable support 12 and the blade carriage16.

[0024] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, automatic displacement of theblade carriage 16 toward the cable to be stripped is caused by a spring68 mounted on a central post 66, better shown in FIG. 2, and biasing theblade carriage towards the cable support 12. The post 66 is removablymounted on one side of the cable support and traverses a central holeformed in a flange 22 of the guide carriage, which, thus, has anL-shape. The post further has a thickened outer end sized and shaped toform a seat for the outer end of the spring 68, the opposite end ofwhich urges against the flange 22 of the blade guide so as to push thelatter towards the cable placed on the cable support.

[0025] A desired position of the blade carriage can be registered by acarriage lock 26 provided with a screw 84, which is actuated by a handle82 so that the screw 84 engages a threaded portion of locking cylinder58 (FIG. 1). The desired position is ensured when the locking cylinder58 is pulled against the central post 66.

[0026] Guide recesses 24 formed on the opposite sides of the flange 22provide linear displacement of the blade carriage in a planeperpendicular to a tangent to the periphery of a circular cable.Preferably, the bottoms of the guide recesses 24 each have a respectivesurface extending complementary to a peripheral surface of the sideposts of the guide column 14, which are, as shown in FIG. 1, aretubular. However, the cross-section of the posts is not limited to anyparticular configuration and may be, for example, polygonal.

[0027] Disassembly of the cable stripper 10 is simplified by attachinginner ends of the side posts of the guide column 14 (FIG. 1) and of thecentral post 66 (FIG. 2) to a flange 92 of the cable support 12 byfasteners 90 extending through openings 88, which are provided on theflange 92. The guide recesses 24, better illustrated in FIG. 2, arelaterally open to facilitate the installation of the guide column 14,which is U-shaped and, thus, features a loop easily engageable by theuser's fingers during the transportation of the cable stripper. Thebottoms of the guide recesses and the side holes 88 have a uniformradius and are aligned with one another to ensure that the guide column14 extends substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the guidesupport 12 lies.

[0028] The blade carriage 16 carries a blade assembly 18 including ablade positioning dial ring 56 (FIG. 1), which is rotated by the user toestablish a desired position corresponding to the desired depth ofpenetration of the blade into the jacket of the cable to be stripped.The dial ring 56 is operative to rotate to an initial positioncorresponding to a zero penetration of the blade 70 which is establishedwhen the zero “O” mark of the scale formed on the dial ring isjuxtaposed with a top edge of index 38 (FIG. 2). A releasable ring lock30, which is mounted on the side of the blade carriage opposite itsflange 22, is operable for locking the dial ring in a positioncorresponding to the desired penetration of the blade. The ring lock 30is a spring-biased structure, which, in a normal or locking position,prevents rotation of the dial ring 56, as will be explained below.

[0029] A resilient element of the ring lock, such as a spring 32 (FIG.1), urges the ring lock 30 towards the locking position. The ring lockis substantially a plate-like element having a center recess 31 (FIG. 2)frictionally engaging the dial ring 56 in the locking position of thering lock 30. In response to an external force, the ring lock 30 canmove out of the locking position and release the dial ring 56, so thatthe latter can be further rotated the desired position corresponding tothe selected depth of the blade penetration. Preferably, the index 38 isattached to the ring lock 30 and extends outwards from the bladecarriage 16 to terminate flush with the scale for the convenience of theuser. The dial ring has a structured surface provided with alternatingribs and troughs slidably engaging a v-shaped edge of the index 38 toindicate the number of turns corresponding to the desired depth of theblade penetration into the cable's jacket. After the desired positionhas been set, an external force is ceased, and the ring lock returns toits locking position. Sliding motion of the ring lock 30 relative to theguide carriage 16 becomes possible due to a pair of spaced oblong holes34 (FIG. 2) formed on the ring lock 30 and traversed by fasteners 36,which are removably attached to the blade carriage 16. The fasteners 36are shaped and dimensioned so as to allow the ring lock's displacement,which is restricted only by the size of the holes.

[0030] The blade assembly 18 further includes a hollow blade housing 40(FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) and a blade holder 60, better illustrated in FIG. 5.The blade housing 40 extends through an opening formed in the bladecarriage 16 and has a hollow interior receiving the blade holder 60which is sized to controllably rotate within the blade housing, as willbe explained below. The periphery of the blade housing 40 is threaded tomesh with a threaded inner surface of a blade cap 100 (FIG. 1), whichalso acts as a blade lock, as will be explained below.

[0031] A U-shaped recess 54 (FIG. 3) formed in the periphery of theblade housing 40 provides a guide channel for a lever 28, which isremovably fixed to the blade holder 60 by a thumb screw 52 (FIG. 1) soas to displace the blade 70 between numerous positions corresponding toradial, axial and spiral cuts of the jacket in the following manner. Tomake a straight axial or radial cut, the blade holder 60 is providedwith a first threaded hole 48 spaced at a 90° angle from a hole 46traversed by a fastener which interconnects the blade 70 and the bladeholder 60. As the blade holder 60 is inserted through the hollowinterior of the blade housing 40, the hole 48 is accessible through theU-shaped recess 54 (FIG. 3) and receives the threaded end of the thumbscrew 52. Accordingly, the U-shaped recess 54 is formed with a pair ofside channels spaced at a 90° angle from one another and a bridgingchannel extending between the juxtaposed ends of the side channels.

[0032] Depending on which of the side channels of the U-shaped recess 54receives the shaft of the lever 28, the blade holder 60 along with theblade 70 assume a radial cut position, in which the blade is turned at a90° angle with respect to the axis of the cable, or an axial cutposition, wherein the blade 70 extends parallel to the axis.

[0033] Turning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner end 102 of the blade holder60 is recessed to receive the blade 70 removably attached to the innerend by a fastener and extending substantially flush with the rest of theblade holder. The outer end 64 of the blade holder provides a seat forone end of a spring 62, the other end of which embraces a flange 44(FIG. 1) attached to the inner side of the blade carriage 16 so that thespring 62 biases the blade holder 60 away from the cable support 12. Asa consequence, the user applies a force overcoming the spring force andsufficient to guide the lever 28 along one of the side channels of theU-shaped recess 54 and extending beyond a flange 42 of the blade housing40 exactly at the desired distance. The blade cap 100 is then screwed inon the blade housing 40 to lock the lever 28 between its inner surfaceand the opposing surface of the dial ring 56 and remains in thisposition during the cutting operation. The spring-biased structure ofthe blade holder allows the user to easily change the current cuttingposition of the blade 70 without detaching the cable stripper 10 fromthe cable by first releasing the blade cap 100 and then, by readjustingthe thumb screw.

[0034] Another hole 50 (FIG. 4) can be tapped in the blade holder 60 atan angular distance from both holes 48 and 46 to provide a spiral cut,if needed. If a cable to be processed in not round, a wave spring 108(FIG. 1) keeps the blade support in contact with this cable for constantblade penetration while the entire blade assembly is being adjusted.

[0035] An axial cut requires that forces applied by the user to thecable stripper be uniform and unidirectional. The handle 20 attached tothe outer side of the cable support 12 and the blade cap 100 constitutethe guide assembly meeting the requirement for the desired axial cut.The blade cap 100 is dimensioned to provide a sufficiently large surfaceallowing the user to have a comfortable grip by one of the user's hands,whereas the other hand can conveniently hold the handle 20. To ensurethe right distribution and direction of the pulling forces, the point ofattachment of the handle 20 is located on a central axis 104 extendingthrough the blade cap 100 and through the blade 70. While differentshapes of the handle can be successfully used, a ring-shape handleswingably attached to the cable support 12 is preferred.

[0036] While this disclosure has described various aspects of thepresent invention, the latter is not limited thereto, and is susceptibleto numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in theart. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the details shown anddescribed herein, and includes all such changes and modifications as areencompassed by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cable stripper comprising: an elongated column;a cable support detachably coupled to one end of the elongated column; ablade carriage provided with a blade assembly and slidably mounted onthe elongated column, the blade carriage and the cable support beingdisplaceable relative to one another to form a space therebetweensufficient to selectively receive differently dimensioned jacketedcables, the blade carriage being resiliently biased towards the cablesupport so that when a cable to be stripped is inserted into the space,the cable support and blade carriage press against the cable in oppositedirections while the cable's jacket is being cut by the blade assembly.2. The cable stripper according to claim 1, wherein the guide column hasa central post provided with a seat on one end and receiving a carriagespring, the carriage spring being braced between the blade carriage andthe seat to bias the carriage toward the cable support.
 3. The cablestripper according to claim 1, wherein the blade assembly includes ahollow blade housing mounted on the blade carriage, and a blade holdertraversing the hollow blade housing and resiliently biased away from theend of the hollow blade housing facing the cable support.
 4. The cablestripper according to claim 3, wherein the blade holder has oppositeends one of which is thicker than the other end which is coupled to theblade, the cable stripper further comprising a blade spring extendingalong the blade holder and having opposite ends braced against the oneend of the blade holder and the blade carriage to bias the blade holderwithin the blade housing.
 5. The cable stripper according to claim 4,wherein the blade housing has a threaded periphery and a U-shaped recessformed in the periphery and forming angularly spaced guide channels toprovide access to the interior of the blade housing.
 6. The cablestripper according to claim 5, further comprising a hollow levertraversed by a thumb screw coupled to the blade holder, the hollow leverextends through the recess and operative to selectively move along thespaced guide channels to establish a radial cutting position and anaxial cutting position of the blade.
 7. The cable stripper according toclaim 6, further comprising a blade cap having an inner threaded surfacemeshing with the threaded periphery of the blade housing anddisplaceable relative to the blade housing to lock the hollow lever in adesired position corresponding to one of the radial or axial cuttingpositions of the blade.
 8. The cable stripper according to claim 6,wherein the blade holder is provided with two angularly spaced holesselectively engaged by the thumb screw so that when one of the holes isengaged by the thumb, the blade can be switched between the radial andaxial cutting positions, and when the other hole is engaged by the thumbscrew, the blade is in a spiral cutting position.
 9. The cable stripperaccording to claim 1, further comprising a dial assembly rotatablymounted on the blade housing to enable the blade assembly to penetratethe jacket of the cable at a predetermined depth.
 10. The cable stripperaccording to claim 7, wherein the dial assembly includes a dial ringmounted on the blade housing between the blade carriage and the bladecap, so that when the blade cap is displaced toward the dial ring, thehollow lever is locked between the opposing faces of the dial ring andthe blade cap.
 11. The cable stripper according to claim 10, wherein thedial ring has a scale provided on the face of the dial ring facing theblade cap and indicating a desired penetration of the blade into thejacket upon rotating the dial ring in an operative position, the cablestripper further comprising a ring lock mounted on the blade carriageand biased in a lock position, wherein the dial ring is locked againstfurther rotation after having been rotated in the operative position.12. The cable stripper according to claim 11, wherein the ring lock hasa plate-like body formed with spaced oblong holes and extending betweenopposite ends, one of the ends being provided with a resilient elementextending between the blade carriage and the one end, and the other endextending from the blade carriage to terminate flush with the scale andto provide an index for establishing the operative position of the dialring.
 13. The cable stripper according to claim 12, further comprising aplurality of fasteners each extending through a respective oblong holeand removably attached to the blade carriage so that when an externalforce is applied to the one end of the plate-like body, the ring lock isdisplaceable until the extremities of the oblong holes engage thefasteners.
 14. The cable stripper according to claim 1, furthercomprising a handle pivotally attached to a side of the cable supportfacing away from the blade carriage, the handle having a point ofattachment lying on a central axis which extends through the guidesupport, the blade carriage and the blade assembly.
 15. A cable strippercomprising: an elongated column; a cable support detachably coupled toone end of the elongated column; a blade carriage provided slidablymounted on the elongated column, the blade carriage and the cablesupport being displaceable relative to one another to form a spacetherebetween sufficient to receive differently dimensioned jacketedcables; and a blade assembly provided with a resiliently biased bladeand mounted on the blade carriage to travel therealong along theelongated column, the resilient blade being biased away from the bladecarriage in a rest position of the blade to prevent contact between theuser and the tip of the blade.
 16. A cable stripper comprising: anelongated column; a cable support detachably coupled to one end of theelongated column and centered along a longitudinal axis; a bladecarriage coaxial with the cable support and slidably mounted on theelongated column, the blade carriage and the cable support beingdisplaceable relative to one another to form a space therebetweensufficient to receive differently dimensioned jacketed cables; a bladecoaxial with and mounted on the blade carriage to move therealong; ablade cap removably attached to the blade carriage and extending in oneaxial direction from the blade; and a handle attached to the cablesupport so that a point of attachment lies on the longitudinal axis andextending generally in opposite axial direction, so that when the bladepenetrates into the cable to be stripped, the handle and the blade capprovide a reliable grip for the user as the cable stripper and the cablemove relative to one another.